Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Doomed
by IllogicalIsLogic
Summary: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are summoned to Elsinore to spy on Hamlet and find themselves neck deep in trouble and now they only have each other to look to for help. Based off of Tom Stoppard's movie.
1. Chapter 1

This is a character essay I am writing to study Guildenstern through Rosencrantz's eyes. It is semi-loosely based upon the wonderful movie "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead," and is set in basically the movies format except with the story playing out through Rosencrantz's eyes.

Disclaimer: I am not trying to steal Tom Stoppard's (or Shakespeare's) work. I just wanted to explore these two characters because they are my favorite from "Hamlet" and the Tom Stoppard movie is so great.

The beginning is a little slow, but please tell me what you think. Thanks!

Rated Teen just for safety.

* * *

My friend Guildenstern is a thoughtful fellow. He can talk constantly about things, which would never occur to the normal man. Sometimes I have practically no idea what he is even talking about. "Rosencrantz, have you ever thought about why the sun rises in the east, but sets in the west?"

I would look down at him for he was about two and a half inches shorter then I, but yet I would always feel small next to him.

"Well?" He would say raising his already arched eyebrows and looking at me, fixing me with his beetle like eyes.

"No?" I would reply in this particular moment in space seating myself and polishing my belt, which had grown dusty.

I heard a sigh and looked up. Guildenstern looked down at me with a resigned, almost condescending glance and then sat next to me.

"You don't think much, my friend," He said, matter-of-factly staring into the fire.

I shrugged noncommittally as I was absorbed in the obsessive polishing of my belt. Guildenstern looked towards the sky, as he was wont to do when he found my answers far too simple to be satisfying.

We were sitting in the dirt in the woods with a small fire nearby and our restless horses tied to strong boughs a bit away from us. It was rather late in the afternoon and growing cold so we were both glad of the warm fire and because Denmark was known to be rough in some places, to be with each other.

"Is it not strange though that the sun does not set in the same place it rose?"

I shrugged again. I had never really paid much attention to it.

"I mean for it to set in another position the sun must be moving around the earth in a circle." Guildenstern said fingering his single gold earring.

I glanced at him quickly.

Guildenstern sat with a single leg drawn up and mossy, murky, brown eyes staring vaguely up at the sky with an abstract look to them. His wayward short hair was of a reddish bark brown color and had the look that said someone was constantly running their fingers through it. The dust had heightened the gaunt look to his face and he seemed a strange figure sitting there in his dirty well worn traveling clothes.

"Maybe the earth moves around the sun." I said looking at him.

He gave me a look of disgust. "My dear Rosencrantz, that is rather unlikely."

I shrugged again. I thought I heard Guildenstern groan.

"But then perhaps if the earth revolved itself that would help explain the sun." He murmured.

I smiled at him. Guildenstern started picking up sticks and feeding the fire. I dragged a stick in the dirt. A shadow fell across the dirt. I looked towards the sky. The sun was high above overhead. I placed a stone on the top of the shadow and watched it.

"What are you doing?" Guildenstern asked.

I looked up at him. "I am tracking the sun's shadows." I said simply.

Guildenstern crossed his arms. "Really." His tone was coated with disbelief.

I nodded smiling. He grunted with contempt. "Right. While you play with the shadows I am going to go check on the horses."

I glanced at him and watched him march off knowing my mechanical curiosity annoyed him.

He returned forty minutes later with an armful of logs. I had placed another stone on the shadow, which had moved a bit. Guildenstern started feeding the fire with larger logs, for it was starting to die. He looked towards me. "You know the sundial has already been invented?"

I blinked benignly at him. "I know."

Guildenstern raised his eyes to the sky with a long painful, drawn out sigh before settling before the fire.

Suddenly there was a large crack. Guildenstern sprang up and landed on my shadow watch, scattering the stick and stones. I felt my face fall.

"What was that?" Guildenstern asked.

I stood rather stiffly. "I don't know, Rosencrantz."

Guildenstern looked at me. I inwardly groaned and cursed my lack of self.

"Guildenstern." I said quickly correcting myself.

Guildenstern looked around slowly. After a couple of minutes he settled himself again. I sat as well.

"What is the purpose of life?" Guildenstern asked abstractly after a few minutes had passed slowly by.

"Good food?" I offered.

"Saints save us." Guildenstern muttered.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Don't you even know?" Guildenstern asked with contempt.

I shook my head. He regarded me with amazed and skeptical eyes.

"Rosencrantz you really don't know?"

I eyed him curiously. "Should I?" I asked.

He frowned. "Well, yes actually you should."

I started arranging the stones in front of me in a pentagram, an interesting shape. Guildenstern watched me. "We are going to meet Hamlet at his royal step-fathers palace and do good king Claudius his dirty jobs." I thought I heard disgust in his voice as he spoke. "You do remember who Hamlet is don't you?"

I stared at him. The look on his face clearly told me he felt I would have absolutely no idea, I who could not even remember my own name.

"Yes." I replied.

Hamlet was a school companion of Guildenstern's and mine.

We had never been close, but we had been friends. It was indirectly through Hamlet that I had met Guildenstern. It had been at the funeral for Hamlet's grandfather to which all, even the peasants had been invited.

It was there we had first met each other.

I had been walking down one of the stairways on my way to the funeral end where you gave your condolences when quite suddenly I pitched face forward and sprawled in the turf.

"How did it feel my excellent fellow!"

I had sat up spitting out grass and turned to see a young man wearing black as required for a funeral, but a smile that belied the clothes sad aspect.

His smile was the one thing that kept me in full admiration of him for all our later years together and it kept me from being angry with him then, when we first met. He seldom shows a smile now. That is not to say he is an unfriendly fellow though he can be a judgmental man, but more that he lives in an idealistic world of his very own and often seems to be to much encompassed in this world to give much attention to man.

Needless to say for you have probably already figured it out, Guildenstern had accidentally I like to think and to this day believe, tripped me and then upon seeing this wanted immediately to know how it felt. Such was his personality. He was ever curious about why's and how's and feelings like being tripped and falling in the turf.

Sarcastic, mildly aloof and maybe even arrogant in his superiority one thing my friend would never, could never be was cruel. Thoughtless maybe, but never intentionally cruel. I like to think that we got on so well after that first meeting because we recognized the lack we each possessed and recognized how together we filled it. I never take to heart his brooding, disgusted looks to me when I have forgotten something as a stranger might. I know that is merely his irritation at being interrupted when he could be thinking. Likewise he tolerates my need to fiddle with things and rarely if ever sneers at them as folly as many others might.

Together, with my social graces and his quick and altogether far to ready wit we made the perfect pair to be put to spying on Hamlet. If I have caught you by surprise you are to be commended on your trust in us. But we are not self-sacrificing enough to refuse to do such an unpleasant assignment as to get our heads chopped off. Though their majesties may seem tolerant, disobedience is an insult and to be martyrs our lives would be forfeit in processes.

All the same I seemed more concerned about it then Guildenstern. Indeed I was not as clueless as he assumed. Though I had forgotten where we were headed, as soon as he had said the palace I had remembered the rather unsavory assignment waiting for us and understood the disgust I had heard in Guildenstern's voice. That Guildenstern could show such a strong dislike of the assignment was a signal that he remembered well the school days with Hamlet and even the knowledge that if we did not do the job our lives would be forfeit could not color his dislike of the assignment.

Guildenstern brought me back to the present when he said, "Rosencrantz perhaps we should move on. I keep feeling like someone is watching us."

That Guildenstern had managed to pull his mind out of his thoughts to sense that someone was watching us made me guess it was true and so I obediently if a bit reluctantly stood and started pulling our things together into a neat pile.

I put out the fire as Guildenstern packed up our belongings onto our horses and then we were off.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

We were perhaps twelve or fifteen miles from the palace and though we hardly said a word to each other through out the long ride it was a compatible silence and we traveled efficiently.

After stopping for the night and an early morning snack we were on the road again, Guildenstern thinking again and I amusing myself with humming tunes learned from various minstrels I had seen and heard.

We arrived at Ellsinore and at the wrought iron gates that protected the palace a bit after five in the afternoon. A pair of stable hands took care of our horses and before we had even time to wash our faces we were summoned into the kings presence.

He was seated on the throne wearing his robes and heavy crown. A small court was around him, the ladies and their husbands and the queen's ladies in waiting. He smelled slightly of lavender and mint to my intense annoyance though I could not figure out why I was annoyed.

"Ah, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern!" He cried incorrectly naming us and I thought I heard Guildenstern sigh.

"Guildenstern and Rosencrantz." This came from the queen, Hamlet's mum who was watching us as we bowed low before them.

She lifted us and I thought I saw a smile play about her lips.

"Your majesties." Guildenstern said in his most if abstract, charming manner. Obviously he was charming enough for I saw a few of the young unmarried damsels of the court giggling.

I smirked slightly anticipating a warm welcome in the evening, but Guildenstern frowned at me. So much for my social graces I thought.

Happily I let Guildenstern do the talking. He was good at talking to royalty like the king where as I usually stumble through the conversation. I never had the nerve to talk to royalty. It was like plucking a delicate and exotic flower. One mishap would destroy it or, rather in the case of royalty, ourselves.

The talk was soon over for the king simply recapped that he wanted us to spy on Hamlet. After that we had to go change and wash and then it was off to dinner and rest for the traveling had left us tired.

The next day our real job began.

Hamlet we found standing in the herb garden sniffing a sprig of lavender.

"My honored lord!" Guildenstern cried clasping Hamlet's arm in a soldiers embrace. As courtly as Guildenstern often seemed he had in truth little etiquette and seldom bothered except when with the king and queen to follow all the formalities that are desired.

I, not wanting to show myself as untrained as my friend stopped a few feet from Prince Hamlet and bowed slightly.

With Hamlet though it did not matter.

He hugged me tightly and cried, "My most welcome friends, what dost bring you to this miserable place?"

Guildenstern smiled slightly. "No occasion except that to see you, my lord."

Hamlet turned away. "You were sent for." He said simply.

"My lord?" Guildenstern asked a frown as imperceptible as a dark shadow crossing his gaunt, well weathered face. Hamlet turned back to us. "If you love me, hold not off. My uncle-father, the king of Denmark sent for you."

I looked at Guildenstern, but he said nothing.

Finally I replied quietly, "My prince, we were sent for."

Hamlet let out a cry. "My uncle-father seeks to divine my madness, but he shant I tell you for my madness runs north-west and none shall find it!"

I saw Guildenstern back away slightly. I, myself wished to do the same, but my manners prevented me.

Hamlet's bright eyes glowed as he looked at me. "You are welcome to Ellsinore, my friends."

I bowed. "Thank you, my lord."

He smiled. Guildenstern raised his eyebrows and I could see his mind working something over while he watched the fair Hamlet.

I looked between them and was once again startled by the comparison between prince and royal spy. Hamlet was dressed in some light blue overcoat and the color matched the baby blue of his eyes. His hair was fair and not a blemish spotted the fair skin. Guildenstern on the other hand was rather rugged looking and slender and while Hamlet bore a few pounds from the good living in the palace, my friend Guildenstern was wiry from constant traveling and little food and had hardly an ounce of fat on his whole body.

I looked down at myself wishing I could say the same thing about my stockier, shorter frame. I pushed my shoulder length black hair out of my face and compared it with Guildenstern's and Hamlet's. Guildenstern hair, kept short, was of a reddish tint whereas Hamlet's was long and fair next to my dark. Guildenstern looked a bit like a rogue I thought suddenly than, though I had never noticed it before. A bandanna was tied about his neck and his single gold earring glinted in the morning.

His nose was slightly crooked and his cheeks rough with stubble. He had a slight thin white scar down one cheek, which was where many years before a thrown knife had laid his cheek bare to the bone. Since then Guildenstern had mastered the art of throwing daggers, angry that his enemy had been able to best him. Guildenstern was after all a perfectionist. He liked being good at everything and usually was.

I never cared quite so much to be good at anything though I did enjoy playing the lute, which I had learned to play from a traveling band of players. I did not see players much lately for Guildenstern had a dislike of them that I think was rooted in the fact that he saw them as thieves and turncoats. I had left my lute at my Grandfather's when I had left almost two years before. I sighed slightly before returning to the perusal of the man I knew so well.

Guildenstern at the moment wore a leather belt, which had a small pouch hanging by a cord from it, and though no one except I knew it he had a small dagger tucked up his boot.

Guildenstern shifted and this brought my attention back to the present. Guildenstern was watching something or someone heading down the path. I turned and saw a motley crew heading towards me. The players. I saw Guildenstern's clear disgust on his face. He would try to get out of here as fast as he could now. He had little enjoyment in the players. Hamlet meanwhile looked positively delighted and looking at Guildenstern's disgusted features I could not help, but smile slightly as well.

"My friends, now you shall see entertainment in its sense!" Hamlet cried. The players hailed him and gathered about calling to Guildenstern and me.

In the hour that followed Guildenstern looked ready to kill someone. He felt the players were riffraff and he who had never been fond of any sort of play did not see why he should start being fond of them now. For my part I thought the play they did all impromptu in that hour for Hamlet was interesting, but with so cynical a friend I held my counsel. After an hour with the players still going quite strong Hamlet turned to us and said, "My friends, I'll leave you till night; you are welcome to Ellsinore."

Since Guildenstern seemed in no mood to say a word I said quickly, "Good my lord."

And we left him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"What a waste of time! We, but discovered one thing; He's mad and that their majesties themselves could have found!"

I let Guildenstern rant. He hated wasting time and he thought this whole royal summons a waste of effort _and_ of time, which was like slapping someone after you have insulted them.

"Why are there kings and queens to order us around, Rosencrantz?"

I looked at him aghast. "Guildenstern do you want to die?" I asked in a whisper. He shook his head. "We are going to die anyway my friend."

"Yes, but not quite as soon as their majesties will make it if you talk treason Guildenstern." I said urgently.

My friend's nature was paradoxical and could be capricious. I did not want him setting his thoughts on treason. He looked at me. We were in our rooms in the lower end of the court, servant quarters Guildenstern observed. I checked around for anyone listening for Guildenstern, who normally did this for he was ever practical minded, was busy in his rant. "Why should we submit to orders given by a king and queen?"  
"To stay alive." I said firmly, but he did not heed me.

"Look Rosencrantz, there is no need to shush me. I do not fear death."

"Aye good sirs. If you have no fear of mortality why not let me help you."

I spun around.

An old man stood stooped near the doorway, his dark eyes watching us. He came near us and stepped in front of Guildenstern, his worn traveling clothes brushing my side as he moved by. I shivered the air suddenly feeling cold. "What do you want and how did you get in here?" He ignored my questions and turned instead to Guildenstern.

"A brave fellow, you have a death wish?"

Guildenstern looked at him and I could almost feel the tension in his quick look at the man. "No, in truth, I have no death wish. What can I do for you?"

The old man cackled, the creased features of his face forming themselves into lined pockets. "No, what can I do for you, young seekers." He replied stepping forwards again so that Guildenstern had to take a step back. Guildenstern crossed his arms.

"Well, what can you do then my friend?" He said stubbornly frowning. I stepped between them. "Come Guildenstern. Lets not listen to every wild goose in Ellsinore. How 'bout we go down and see what amusement lies around?" I said quickly the sudden chill of the air and the dark eyes of the old man making me uneasy. Guildenstern did not look at me, but still frowned absently at the man.

"No, Rosencrantz. Here is amusement enough. So old man, what can you show us then?" The man cackled again and looked up at us from shadowed dark eyes and pulled something from his robe.

"Will you believe me?" The man asked smiling.

"Probably not, but show us now." Guildenstern said calmly.

The man smiled and opened his hand. "Now would you believe me?"

Guildenstern's eyes widened and even through his unemotional face I read amazement and shock. In his hand was a thin chain and on the chain was a small intricately worked ring decorated with amethysts and rubies. I saw Guildenstern touch his neck were a chain held the same small ring, which only I had ever seen for never had Guildenstern ever shown the ring to anyone else.

I alone knew the significance of the ring.

Guildenstern's mother who had died some eleven years ago had given the ring to Guildenstern for his fifteenth birthday. There was not another like it in the whole world and it was not possible that the old man held a copy of Guildenstern's ring. Guildenstern looked up at the old man as I looked at the ring.

Were had the man gotten such a copy? Could it be it was no copy? Could it be this man was not from this time, but…? I shoved such thoughts away. Don't be ridiculous I thought angrily to myself. Perhaps this man was a type of magician or something. I dragged my eyes to Guildenstern who was speaking to the man.

"Alright, what do you have to show us?"

"I came to tell you your future in the interest of entertainment." The old man said. Guildenstern looked skeptical. "Entertainment?"

"Aye, entertainment my friend. Your life is entertainment to many a person."

I puzzled through his words, but could make no sense of them. Guildenstern raised an eyebrow.  
"In the interest of entertainment I shall tell you your future and I have the ring as proof that what I say is true and you know why the ring means truth." He added softly directing his dark eyes at me.

I drew in a slow breath trying to calm myself as Guildenstern looked between us, puzzled by our mentally held conversation. No, Rosencrantz. He is just fooling you. He can't have….. That, that ring can't be from the future I thought to myself firmly, but yet the man's words stuck fast to my brain like glue. I thought I saw the man smile as he turned away saying, "Come, I will tell you my friends."

He led us to the window and as we looked out said calmly, "In your future is death. Both of you by a friend shall be betrayed; a letter shall be your undoing and your words your sin. Hence in a weeks time two shall be swinging, Guildenstern and Rosencrantz."

He smiled. "If you seek to avoid your future there is the entertainment. We shall see my friends."

He turned to go, but Guildenstern called after him, "Wait, sir. You know our names, but we do not know yours."  
The man smiled and there was something slightly reptile like in the glint of his eye. "You shall my good friend know it, but now is not yet time. Goodbye."

And then the man was gone.

We stood staring after him in puzzled, bewilderment or at least I did. Guildenstern paced, thinking. "That was the truth, but yet how could he know? And what was all this about entertainment."

That was a rhetorical question, but I answered it anyway.

"Maybe he means life is just amusement for the creators? That we are someone's toys."

I did not like that thought even as I said it. Life, just amusement for someone? Surely that could not be. Surely there was more to life then that.

Guildenstern kept pacing ignoring my rambling talk. "A letter. A friend. You don't think he meant Hamlet?" Guildenstern said glancing at me.

I had been thinking about the old man and his shadowed eyes and strange talk of entertainment. Who was that man? What had he meant by his thoughts on how we were entertainment? And from where or _when_ was that ring? But now Guildenstern brought me back.

"Hamlet? But he would never consign us to die. Would he?" I said fearfully. Guildenstern said nothing.

The next day Hamlet staged a play for the king. King Claudius did not stay for the performances end. He rushed out near the middle, leaving Hamlet laughing uncontrollably. The next few days passed in a blur.

Guildenstern and I spent our days watching Hamlet and at least I worried about the future. Then the summons came. We were summoned to the king the next day with orders to leave for England with Hamlet bearing a letter to the king. We both looked at each other over the letter the king now handed Guildenstern. I thought I could hear a cackling noise like a man's laughter.

We left the next day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Hamlet was not in the best of spirits when we left and the sour wind did nothing to improve the doomsday feel to the air. We boarded the ship and set sail. For all this my friend seemed undaunted. He was more interested in puzzling out the old mans riddle then worrying about saving himself. It was I who did the worrying. I kept the letter close at all times and barely spoke to anyone for the man had said our words would be our sin. It was Guildenstern who finally unleashed the wolf on us.

Curious to see if the letter contained any hints for us he opened it and read out loud,

"So, forth and so on and so forth, your majesties, etcetera, etcetera, kill Hamlet, so forth." He stopped and reread the letter.

"Hmm. You know Rosencrantz; this is not the sort of letter I expected. I thought it would say to kill us because that old fellow said that a letter would be our undoing, but it says not a word about killing you or me." Guildenstern pondered benignly reading the letter that had prophesied Hamlet's death.

"What do you mean kill Hamlet!?" I cried.

Guildenstern yawned.

"Lord I am tired. Here, why don't you read it. I thought the letter would contain something much worse."

Guildenstern handed me the letter and lay down on the cot. I read the letter quickly.

"Guildenstern, they wish us to kill our friend Hamlet!" I cried shaking him. Guildenstern glanced at the letter.

"I thought it said to simply give the letter to their majesties in England?" He said glancing at me. I shook my head.

"Don't you get it, Guildenstern? By giving this letter to their majesties we might as well kill the fellow ourselves!"

I felt on the edge of tears. This was worse then what I had expected. It was one thing to accidentally kill a friend; it was another to do so knowingly like we would.

"I can't stand it Guildenstern!" I blubbered. Guildenstern swung himself from the cot and took the letter from me.

"There is really nothing we can do about it, Rosencrantz. At least be thankful it's not us. Come lie down, Rosencrantz." He told me as softly and gently as he could. I wiped my dirty face and allowed Guildenstern to guide me to the cot. He placed the letter on a tiny table and once he had gotten me covered went to the other cot and laid down himself. "Sleep well, Rosencrantz." Guildenstern said eyes closed. I watched him for a moment still thinking about Hamlet.

"Do you think there is a Heaven?" I said softly after a moment.

Guildenstern was silent, finally he said, "Yes. I think there is, or at least something very much like it." And then he rolled over and fell asleep.

I think that was the only time I had ever heard him answer so finally something he had yet to have seen proved with his own eyes. And it was the last time I ever heard him answer something with such powerful belief.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

I awoke to a boom of a cannon. I shot up and out of my cot. I grabbed the letter from were it was on the table and stuffed it into my shirt. I looked through a hole in the cabin. A ship waving a black flag was sailing into view. There was another boom and I heard the creak of timbre. I raced out of the cabin.

"Guildenstern! Guildenstern!" I called. I ran up the steps and came up to the main deck. There was smoke everywhere from our cannons and a thick mist had climbed in.

"Guildenstern!" I called frantically.

Suddenly he was at my side. "Shhh." He said pointing out the starboard side. I saw the pirate ship floating away and up on the end of the ship waving to us was Hamlet.

"Farewell, my friends!" Hamlet called before drifting through the mist out of sight. Guildenstern swore. I looked fearfully at him.

"Now what?" I asked. He looked at the ship grimly.

"We do what we were sent for. Go to England, apologize and give their royal majesties the letter." He said disgustedly as he headed back towards the cabin. I looked out at the now silent sea before following him. I could not help, but hear the old fellows words in my head repeating. _Both of you by a friend will be betrayed. _

We came to England.

The ship crawled into port at half past the fourth hour. It was in the late afternoon. We were sent to their majesties to give report and it was in the early morning of the next day that we found ourselves before their royal majesties of Britain.

"Your majesties." I said. I was thinking about the letter. As Hamlet was gone there really was no reason to fear it's consequences and I felt a burden lift from my breast. Guildenstern and I bowed before being lifted by the queen.

"Yes. What do you want, messengers?" The king asked impatiently. I drew forth the letter.

"To give you this letter my lord." I said quickly.

The king sat up looking at us rather abruptly.

"A letter, sir?" He asked softly. I quickly nodded.

He took the letter and read it before looking at us. He snapped his fingers and a servant rushed to his side.

"Escort these two messengers to the dungeons. They are to be hung on the morning of the morrow." The king said. I looked at Guildenstern. His eyes were wide and his mouth open.

"Your majesty, what treason have we committed?" He asked. The king did not reply, but gave him the letter. Guildenstern read quickly.

"..The bearers of this message are to be killed.."

Guildenstern stared at the letter in amazement. He opened his mouth to object, to say that this was not the right letter, but the king nodded his head and two guards appeared quickly and escorted us away from the throne room.

I stared blankly at the wall.

The thought that, _I am going to die _kept wandering into my mind but I managed to push it away and look up. Guildenstern looked as unafraid as always and almost it seemed annoyed at the turn of events. He seemed to be pondering something hard.

"He must have felt betrayed by us, Rosencrantz." Guildenstern said softly without warning. I looked up at him quite startled.  
"What do you mean, Guildenstern?"

Guildenstern yawned as if he was waking up from sleeping on a soft bed rather then sitting in a cell.

"That letter. Hamlet must have gotten a hold of the letter. It must have hurt him terribly."

I pondered this a bit, but my mind kept wandering over to the fact that my friend, logical, calculating and almost it seemed sometimes devoid of empathy had just thought about the feeling of a past friend who had sent us to death. Before I had enough time to begin processing this there was a creak and the guard called down to us,

"A visitor."

I looked up.

An old man was inching down the stair to us. After a moment he came close enough that I realized it was the strange old man who had told us about our death. I felt a bitter flood of anger against him. Somehow this had been his entire fault, but I could not figure out why I felt that.

"Greetings Rosencrantz, Guildenstern."

Guildenstern stared at him.

"Where is Hamlet?" He asked cautiously. The man looked at him.

"Hamlet? Why our friend Hamlet is back in Ellsinore, fighting Laertes."

The old fellow chuckled looking amused.

Guildenstern looked at him bewildered. "Fighting Laertes?" He asked, but the old man shook his head slowly.

"His is not your story. You are no longer involved in Hamlet's story, but instead the end of your own is now coming."

Guildenstern did not question the mans answer. He felt it to be true.

Instead he asked cautiously, "Two of your predications were true, old man, but what of the third. _Our words shall betray us_?"

Guildenstern asked watching the old man on the other side of the bars that enclosed the dungeon. The old man nodded his head smiling.

"Ah, Guildenstern it was when you read that letter that my prediction spoke. Hamlet heard you talking and switched the letters."

Guildenstern flinched slightly, but the man added,

"Do not blame yourself my friend. Yours and your friends fate was written in the stars before you were born."

Here the old man winked as if chuckling at an inside joke. Guildenstern's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Why have you come?" He asked.

The old man smiled. "To answer the question you asked me so long ago. To give you my good friends my name."  
Guildenstern leaned forward. I momentarily forgot our doom hanging like a storm over us as the man drew a breath.

"My name my friends shall solve none of your problems for it is as I told you for entertainments sake that you are in them, but for what it is worth you shall at least solve that one mystery."

Suddenly there was a bashing of metal and the dungeon was opened and two guards strode in. The old man watched them as we watched him waiting for the name. The guards grabbed us and shoved us out into the hallway past the old fellow, up the steep steps. They started pushing us towards the barred door and when we were at the door and I ever the less patient one could finally no longer stand it I called as we were pushed through the door into the hallway,

"What is your name?"

And as we were pushed forever from the safety of the dungeon and onwards to the yard where we would hang I heard his soft call echoing back,

"William. My name is William Shakespeare."

And then we were gone.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Final Chapter **

We stood in a private yard with ropes around our neck.

A priest was talking softly in Latin pleading for our sins I was sure. Guildenstern looked over at me. His muddy eyes met mine.

"I wonder what death feels like? Is it just the end or is there more to it?" He said staring out into the sky over my shoulder. I shrugged. He sighed. We stood in the morning as the sun rose in its glory to the east in a quiet compatible silence. Finally he said quietly as if fearing to disturb the peace,

"See you in the next world Rosencrantz"

as the priest finished and the doors beneath our feet dropped.

Epilogue:

I had often wondered when I was younger what the purpose was of life. Guildenstern had always told me I was being foolish, that there was no point to life, that we were here and nothing was expected of us except that we live. I found it hard to accept that. Could it be that life had no purpose as Guildenstern said? But that seemed to desolate to me, to empty, to pointless, but what other options were there? Not what Shakespeare said surely. But then I wondered, we laughed at plays were peoples mistakes were made much of. Why would our own lives not be merely a play to another? And as I looked out from the netherworlds to which I had been sent I reflected that perhaps I preferred the opinion of my dear friend, but in my own mind I wondered, perhaps Mr. Shakespeare was right, our lives were just for entertainment.

An old man stood in a private yard looking out into the bright sun where shortly before two young men had hung to their death. He watched quietly as the sun climbed in the morning. His hand lay slack at his thigh and off a small object he held in his hand the sun shone. He opened his palm and let the object fall into the ground where it landed on a brand new grave. The grave of the man who from whose still swinging body he had taken a bright ring. A ring the exact same as another. Here the object glinted and an amethyst caught the morning light, as it burned with a fire as bright as the man to whom it had once belonged until his death. That man who had been my dear friend and Guildenstern. And as I looked out from the netherworlds to which I had been sent I reflected that perhaps Mr. Shakespeare was right, our lives were just for entertainment.

The End.


End file.
